Topic: Da'Sean Butler

Da'Sean Butler (born January 25, 1987 in Newark, New Jersey) is a forward for the West Virginia Mountaineers. He has made the Big East weekly honor multiple times and has been instrumental in many of the Mountaineers' wins. Butler is considered an extremely versatile player and is considered a late first-round NBA draft prospect.

Da'Sean Butler played basketball in high school at Bloomfield Tech High School. As a junior, Butler averaged 15.7 points per game. As a senior, Butler earned all-state honors while averaging 15.1 points per game and 11 rebounds per game. He scored 1,044 career points and led his school to 97 wins. He played in the Jordan All-American Classic regional game at the end of his high school career.

Butler came into West Virginia University as the basketball team lostKevin Pittsnogle and Mike Gansey. Under head coach John Beilein, the new Mountaineers squad was led by forward Frank Young and guard Darris Nichols. However, Butler played in all 36 games off the bench. Butler started the season 11 points against Mount St. Mary's, with a season-high 21 points against Seton Hall. Against Slippery Rock, Butler had 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench, then had eight points against Arkansas. He had 9 points against North Carolina State, then 10 points and six rebounds against Duquesne. Butler scored 14 points against The Citadel, 16 points against UConn, 7 points against Villanova, and then six points against St. John's. He then scored 9 points and a season-high 10 rebounds against Notre Dame, followed by 12 points and six rebounds against South Florida. Butler then had 14 points and 8 rebounds against Cincinnati, 17 points against Rutgers, and a team-high 14 points against Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl. In the huge upset win over UCLA, Butler had 13 points, while scoring 17 points against Louisville in the Big East Tournament. The Mountaineers eventually made it in the NIT Tournament, and all the way to the finals. In the finals win against Clemson, Butler had 20 points, as the Mountaineers were named NIT Champions.